21 Road Trip Games for the Whole Family

If you've ever been on a family road trip, you already know about a few games kids like to play.

There's "Are we there yet?" where your passengers ask the question repeatedly.

And there are other classics like "I'm hungry", "I'm bored", "I need to go to the toilet again", and "Can we stop at Maccas?"

It's fair to say that these games aren't too fun for the adults in the car, and they're often a sign that your kids are getting really bored!

You don't just want to overload them with screens, and when you tried playing the "Punch Buggy" game, it just turned into squabbling siblings whacking each other.

So, where do you turn next? 

You need a list of fun road trip games that don't involve screens, don't require internet, won't result in fights, and won't drive you around the bend!

In this article, we've put together a list of family road trip games that tick all those boxes.

So, pack up your car and camper trailer and prepare these fun car games for your next camping adventure!

1. I Spy

We're starting with an undeniable classic road trip game, and it goes a little something like this:

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with [BLANK]"... and you fill in the blank with the first letter of whatever you're spying.

It could be S for Steering Wheel, R for Road, or even P for Patriot Camper Trailer!

One person spies and everyone else in the car guesses.

It might not be hours of fun, but this classic game is great fun for a while, and once everyone's had a turn, your road trip will definitely feel a little bit shorter.

2. The Car Number Plate Winner Game

This is one of those passive games that you can play across the entire car trip. It gives young passengers something to focus on as they keep their eyes peeled for winner number plates.

But what is a winning number plate?

In the classic number plate style, each registration had three letters followed by three numbers.

If a number plate is ABC 123, that's a number winner because 1 + 2 = 3.

If a number plate is DOG 999, that's a word winner because DOG spells dog.

And if a number plate is DOG 123, you have a double winner because you have a word and an equation in one.

These days, newer number plates follow different formats, but you can create your own rules. There could be bonus points for vanity plates or spotting a number plate from every state in Australia.

The list goes on, and you will be passing plenty of number plates. So get creative and give your passengers something to do for the whole ride.

3. Who Am I?

Here's another one that will burn some time once everyone's had a go. 

"Who Am I?" is a game where one person thinks of someone and everyone else gets to ask questions and guess who they are thinking of.

"Who Am I?" can cover current or historical figures, famous people or family and friends, and even fictional characters or real-life people.

You might want to set rules on the type of people you can choose, or you might want to make it a free-for-all.

4. 20 Questions

If you're still in the mood for questions after "Who Am I?", then give 20 Questions a go.

This time, the player can think of absolutely anything - not just a person - and the guessers only have 20 questions to find the answer.

5. The Quiet Game

After a few hours in the car and a few question-based games, parents will really appreciate this one.

The Quiet Game requires all participants to remain quiet - and usually still - for as long as possible.

The person who stays still and silent the longest wins!

This might just sound like an excuse for some peace and quiet - and it is! - but it can also be good fun for all participants. After all, some kids will compete about anything and everything!

6. Road Trip Bingo/Scavenger Hunt

Create a custom bingo board of items to spot on the road or print out a premade list from the internet.

Then, hand out the list to each passenger and see how many items they can spot during the drive.

You could include different types of road signs, various animals, different makes, models, and colours of cars, interstate number plates, cars towing caravans or camper trailers, surfboards or bicycles on a car, fire stations, police cars, windmills, and more!

Road trip bingo is also known as Spotto!

7. The Counting Game

Here's another one that will keep kids engaged and entertained throughout the trip.

Simply pick a category (animal, certain objects, etc.) and see how many items each participant can count during the trip. Once one person identifies an item, no one else can count it. The person who has counted the most at the end of the trip wins!

8. Noughts and Crosses

We all know this one. Simply grab a pen and paper and create a grid with nine spaces (three by three).

Two people play at a time, with one drawing noughts (circles) in a space on the grid and the other person drawing crosses.

You take one turn at a time, and if one player can create a line of three noughts or crosses (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally), they win!

If you have a fold-down console in the back of the car, these pen-and-paper games can be played on this surface. Otherwise, just hand around a notebook.

Noughts and Crosses is also known as Xs and Os or Tic-Tac-Toe.

9. Hangman

Let's keep it going with the pen-and-paper games for a while.

Hangman is a game where one person thinks up a word or phrase and everyone else tries to guess the word one letter at a time. All the guessers know at the beginning is how many letters there are.

Each time you guess a letter correctly, all instances of that letter are added to the word/phrase. 

Each time you guess incorrectly, another part of the hangman is drawn.

The guessers win if they guess the word or phrase before the hangman drawing is complete.

10. Connect the Dots

Print off pages of Connect the Dots, where passengers need to connect dots in a certain order to form a picture. It's a nice relaxing pen-and-paper activity. 

Colouring books are another similar option.

11. Pictionary

Pictionary is a popular game for kids and adults. One person draws a picture and everyone else races to guess what the drawing is.

You can buy an official Travel Pictionary set with different categories and prompts to draw, or you can just provide pen and paper and let everyone draw whatever they want!

12. Mad Libs

If you haven't heard of Mad Libs, it goes something like this.

Write out a story on a piece of paper with several blank spaces. You can use a story template or create your own custom story about your road trip and camping adventure.

The second part of Mad Libs is getting random words from everyone else in the car to fill in the blanks. Then you read out the story and everyone has a laugh as the nonsense ensues!

A less formal variation of Mad Libs is sometimes known as Triple Threat. In this variety, one person names three random words and each of the remaining players creates a story using those words.

13. Connect Four

It's like Tic-Tac-Toe except bigger and more colourful. Two players face off to line up four coloured discs vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

If you're driving with an off-road camper, maybe just warn your passengers to put the Connect Four away before you hit the dirt tracks!

14. Go Fish

You could play any card game in the back of the car, but Go Fish is one of the easiest to understand for young kids. 

Each player draws a hand of cards and then they ask the other player for a card. For example, "Do you have a King of Clubs?"

If they have the card you ask for, you get to ask again. If they don't have the card, they say "Go Fish" and you draw from the pile before the next person takes their turn. Once the draw pile is empty, the player with the most cards wins.

15. Truth or Dare

This is a great game for kids to play when they're with a group of friends who they don't know everything about.

Everyone gets the option for truth or dare. If they choose truth, they must answer a question truthfully. If they choose a dare, they must perform a car-trip-appropriate dare.

16. Six Degrees of Separation

There's an idea that every person in the world can be connected to each other through six other people or fewer.

For example:

• George Clooney and Matt Damon were both in Ocean's Eleven.
• Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson were both in The Departed.
• Jack Nicholson and Kevin Bacon were both in A Few Good Men.

Therefore, George Clooney and Kevin Bacon are separated by just two other people. Play this game with older passengers and try connecting two people for yourself! 

17. Alphabet Games

26 letters, endless possibilities! Here are a few alphabet-based games you can play on your road trip:

• Alphabet Bingo: Find one item on your road trip for every letter of the alphabet. The first player to get all 26 wins!
  
  
• Compliments: In The Compliment Game, you need to compliment someone else in the car using every letter of the alphabet.
  
  
• Grocery Game: The first player names a grocery item starting with the letter A (e.g. avocado). The next player must repeat avocado and name a grocery item with the letter B (e.g. avocado, banana). Keep going until someone forgets the list or can't name a grocery item for their letter.
  
  
• Categories: Also known as Scattergories. Name a category (such as animals) and then see if players can list an animal for every letter of the alphabet. The player with the most letters filled wins.
  
  
• Movies: One player names a letter then everyone tries to think of a movie beginning with that letter.
  
  
• Spelling chain: Each person lists a word but your word must start with the last letter of the previous word. You can play this game in categories such as Geography. For example, Tasmania, Adelaide, Epping, Germany, etc.

18. Name the Song/Artist

Listening to the radio or a playlist? Make it a bit more engaging by turning it into a game of speed. The first person to name the artist or song name wins! If you're listening to your own playlist, you can easily skip through songs when someone guesses correctly.

19. Name the Most Items

Pick a category (like types of chocolate) and everyone must list as many varieties as possible within a time limit (like Cherry Ripe, Dairy Milk, Twirl, etc.) The player who names the most items wins!

20. Count to 20

This one is harder than it sounds.

Say there are five people in the car. Collectively, you need to count to 20. You can say up to three numbers at a time and the winner is the person who finishes at 20.

For example:

• Mum says: 1, 2, 3
• Dad says: 4, 5
• Mark says: 6 7, 8
• Broden says: 9
• Zach says: 10, 11, 12 
• Mum says: 13, 14,
• Dad says: 15, 16
• Mark says: 17, 18, 19
• Broden says: 20

Broden wins!

It's a simple game that's easily repeated and a ton of fun!

21. Hey, Cow!

The great thing about road trips in Australia is all the wildlife you see. This game simply involves being the first to point it out when you drive by.

When you pass one, just say "Hey, Cow!" (or sheep, or horse, or whatever animal you choose).

It's a bit of fun just to shout out a silly phrase, but you can also choose to keep score across the trip.

22. When I Went Camping

If you're heading out with your Lifestyle Camper, why not play a game related to camping?

"When I Went Camping" is a memory game similar to the grocery game mentioned in the alphabet section.

One person starts by saying "When I Went Camping, I bought a [BLANK]", finishing the sentence with an item.

The second person needs to repeat the sentence, saying the first person's item followed by their item.

The third person needs to repeat the sentence with the first two items followed by a third item, etc. etc.

The game ends when someone fails to remember the list of items in the correct order or repeats an item that has already been listed.

Are You Going on a Camping Road Trip?

Do it in style with Australian Climate Systems!

Whether you're looking for an off-road camper or a hybrid camper, you can find a great deal with our team. 

We are authorised suppliers of Patriot Camper Trailers, Lifestyle Camper Trailers, and a range of camping gear in Victoria and Tasmania. We even offer a range of recreational gear for holiday fun!

We hope these fun games for kids make your next road trip a bit easier, and as always, we hope you have a great camping adventure or holiday escape!